Why in news
A high-level committee, led by K. Radhakrishnan, recommended restructuring the National Testing Agency (NTA) due to issues like question paper leaks in CUET-UG.
NTA should focus exclusively on conducting entrance exams for higher education, not recruitment exams, starting from 2025.
New governance structures, including an empowered governing body and sub-committees, will oversee ethics, transparency, and test audits.
Key Recommendations for Improvement
Implementation of a "Digi-Exam" system to ensure secure candidate identification.
Multi-session and multi-stage testing for NEET-UG and CUET with clear, transparent normalisation processes.
Establishment of State and District-level coordination committees to ensure secure test administration.
Detailed protocols to prevent malpractices, including secure handling of question papers, OMR sheets, and result declarations.
Leadership and Staffing Changes
The Director-General of NTA should be at least an Additional Secretary in rank, with 10 verticals headed by directors for better management.
NTA staffing will be strengthened with domain-specific experts to improve efficiency and accountability.
COMMENTS